You might've caught wind that I, along with 18 other Republicans, stood our ground in voting against a rule that would drag an old surveillance law back to the House floor for a vote. Why'd I do that? Because I won't tolerate the FBI rummaging through honest Americans' private affairs without a warrant.
For those of you not up to speed on FISA, let me lay it out for you. Let’s say you have a roofer fixing up your house, but little did you know he’s not a citizen. The FBI can comb through his communication records, and if your number happens to pop up because you were texting or calling him—you’re now fair game for their snooping.
Because of lax rules that have been repeatedly broken, the FBI can conduct backdoor searches on the data it collects, even if it includes information about innocent everyday Americans.
But don’t take my word for it; government reports show that the FBI has performed tens of thousands of backdoor searches that break their own rules. Victims caught in the crossfire include members of Congress, journalists, and even 19,000 donors to a congressional campaign.
If you ask me, we had no choice but to slam the brakes on this thing. It needs a major overhaul before we even think about giving it the green light again.
FISA backers claim it's crucial for tracking terrorists, yet the southern border is a gaping hole, letting folks on the terror watch list waltz right through. And does that ruffle their feathers? Not in the slightest.
There’s no way we’re going to let the federal government poke around in Americans’ business without a dadgum good reason, and definitely not without a search warrant. I won’t stand for it until we hammer out some real, tough reforms that protect your constitutional rights, plain and simple.
So, as it is, shut it down.
